Karupin and Boy
by omi1
Summary: Karupin overhears something bad... And decides to do something about it.


**Karupin and Boy**  
by omi  
  
Karupin stalked into the courtyard, his tail swishing happily. He had just returned from playing with one of his human toys. It had taken some effort to train him up to his exactly standards, but it had been worth it. Now, all he had to do was to show up, and his boy toy would drop everything he was doing to play with him.   
  
He rather liked this new boy toy, with his green bandanna and funny hoarse voice that goes 'hora hora' so prettily. But enough. It was time for dinner. Karupin picked up his pace, leaping up the wooden steps, down the hallway and meandered past the only-slightly-scratched furniture legs of the living room, his claws gleaming slightly in the soft evening light.   
  
There were noises in the kitchen, and Karupin's tail waved harder. His family toys were truly excellent, providing food, and much amusement upon command. His little kitty paws caught on the wooden slats of the door, and he halted for a second.  
  
His toys were talking amongst themselves, the gentle one, who feeds him, was talking, a hint of distress in her voice. "Karupin is gone again. He does this almost everyday, only coming back for food, or in the evening when Ryouma comes back from school and practice. I've tried everything, bells on his collar, putting up fences, but nothing works!"   
  
The smelly one with the fun picture books that Karupin liked to use in lieu of kitty litter, muttered, "We should just neuter him. That would keep this kitty's wandering paws closer to home!"  
  
"Oyaji!" protested his favourite boy toy. But Karupin was no longer listening. _Neutered? **Neutered**?_ They want to cut off the source of his independence, his power?? Horrified, Karupin let out a screech, and ears flat against his head, took off in a blurred rush past feet, distressed faces, irritated shouts and was out and running into the open again.   
  
Karupin sped past familiar landmarks, down the lane, into the quiet parkland and up a low-lying tree. He jumped agilely from branch to branch, until the dense foliage provided him with a perfect inpenetrable cover.  
  
_How could they?_ thought the upset kitten. _They were his toys -- how could they even suggest such a horrible, horrible thing?!_  
  
A voice mewed above his head. "What's the problem, young one?"  
  
Karupin started in surprise, and immediately covered his momentarily lapse with a veneer of haughty feline disdain. "Who wants to know?" Karupin mewed back suspiciously.  
  
"Oh, I'm just an old she-cat with too many fights and toys in her past and has come out into the world to find some amusement."  
  
Karupin relaxed. The voice was rather comforting -- a soft scratchy purr -- and invited confidence. Karupin dropped his defensive facade, and began to lick his paws rather gloomily. "My toys are getting ideas," confided Karupin in between licks. "They want to... you know, do IT."   
  
There was a brief silence as both cats pondered the enormity of the matter.   
  
"Ah..." The unknown cat thrummed thoughtfully from the back of her throat. "You might want to see The Cat At The Mother of All Fish Shops for this. She might be able to help you, young kitten."  
  
"She would?" Karupin brightened slightly, his ears rising slightly in hope.   
  
"She might," answered the voice cadgily. "After all, what have you to lose?"  
  
Karupin thought for a second, and decided to go. "Thanks," he mewed over his shoulder, as he leapt from branch to branch, down to the ground.   
  
"No worries..." the voice said softly. "No worries at all..." And the branch rustled for a second, and all was still again.   
  
Soon, Karupin was picking his way past the familiar turns and curves of the Mother of All Fish Shops. The kitten heroically ignored all the fascinating smells emitting around him, stopping only twice, once to nibble at a particularly fine bit of fish scraps, and once to kick around a octopus tentacle that was just lying there and practically begging to be clawed.   
  
Every cat in town knew about The Cat At The Mother of All Fish Shops. The fattest cat, the wisest cat, the only cat to have held sway over the biggest, best fish shop around for miles. Battle-scarred and half-blind in one eye, The Cat At The Mother of All Fish Shops was the most respected cat in town.   
  
Karupin only hoped that She would really be able to help him.   
  
The kitten stopped at large covered box, and pawed at it delicately. He mewed softly, "Hello?"   
  
"Come in," sounded a brash scratchy voice. "Don't just hang around outside!"  
  
Karupin pushed past the bright pink cloth covering, and went into the box. His bright green cat eyes immediately adjusted to the lack of light within and found a large figure seated upright amidst a mass of cushions. The young kitten could not help but give the slightest bow of respect for the Cat At The Mother of All Fish Shops was everything they said she was.   
  
Her fur was brown and matted, and horrible old scars dotted her flank and forepaw. One eye was milky white, and the other was a deep, wise black. Her left ear was ragged, as if someone had taken a large bite out of it at one point in her long, long life.   
  
"Well, what do you want, kitten? Speak up, speak up! I have no time to waste!"   
  
Karupin came close to The Cat and wound himself around her winningly. "I need help, Oh Cat!" He mewed piteously. "My toys -- my human toys that I live with -- they want to... they want to make me a not-boy cat!"  
  
"So what? This kind of thing happens all the time," said The Cat indifferently. "If you really don't like the idea, you can always run away."  
  
"Run away?" Karupin mewed in surprise, his cat eyes widening in shock. "But... But, my boy toy! I can't leave him behind!"   
  
"Why not? He wants to cut it off, doesn't he?" came the devastatingly casual reply. "What is the point of sticking with such a toy?"  
  
Karupin's little kitty mouth worked noiselessly.   
  
Images of his short one and half years of existence flashed across his mind. Of being small and helpless and being cuddled by the Boy. Of his soft gentle fingers stroking his head at the exact spot that only he could reach. Of hours upon hours of play time, when the Boy brought offerings and new toys. Of sleeping with the Boy, snuggled under his covers.   
  
Karupin looked up, confusion in his eyes. "But.. but..." his kitty voice softened to a whisper. "I love him." Karupin curled up into a small ball by The Cat's side, covering his face.   
  
The Cat's eyes softened, and she lowered her head to groom Karupin, her rough tongue rasping comfortingly along his white and brown coat. "Well," she sighed. "If you love him... Maybe there is something I can do."  
  
Karupin peeked at The Cat hopefully. "Really?"  
  
The Cat pushed away a cushion, and came up with a beautiful gleaming stone in her mouth. She spat it out in front of Karupin, and nudged him to it. "Carry this in your mouth, back to your Boy toy. When you are alone with him, swallow it, and what happens next will be up to you..."  
  
Karupin nosed the stone curiously, it felt cool and warm at the same time. He took it up in his mouth gingerly, and thanked The Cat awkardly through the stone in his mouth and quickly headed back home.   
  
His human toys made a big fuss of him when he came back at last, tired and weary. He vanished briefly into his Boy's room first though, to safely deposit the stone in the safest place he knew, his Boy's racquet bag, before appearing back into company again as if nothing had happened.   
  
Pretty-food-providing toy gave him a stupendous meal of delicious flaked fish, while Smelly-but-always-free-to-play toy played with him with his favourite non-living toy. His Boy came back half an hour later, hot, sweaty, and tired.   
  
"Karupin!" His Boy swept him into his embrace. "Where did you go?! I've been looking all over for you!"   
  
Karupin rubbed up against his Boy quietly. They snuggled together like that for a long while, until the Boy got restless. "I got all hot and sweaty again, looking for you," the Boy soon announced. "I need another bath." Still carrying Karupin, his Boy went into the bathroom, turned on the taps, took off his clothes and got into the bathtub.   
  
Karupin simply sat at a relatively safe distance from all that water and licked his paw fastidiously.   
  
His Boy drew his knees up, and laid his chin against the top of one knee. He stared at his beloved cat. "You know I wouldn't let the old man do anything bad to you, don't you?" He asked softly as he drew out a wet dripping hand from the tub and held it out to Karupin.   
  
Karupin stared at it for a moment, and slowly wound his way past the discarded clothes to mouth the proffered fingers. His Boy knew better then to pat Karupin while wet, so, after Karupin had nuzzled his fingers for a moment longer, he continued with his bath, much cheered.   
  
His Boy finished his bath, and was back in his room, putting on his pyjamas, when Karupin remembered The Cat At The Mother of All Fish Shop's words. _"Carry this in your mouth, back to your Boy toy. When you are alone with him, swallow it, and what happens next will be up to you..."_  
  
Karupin glanced at his Boy, who was putting on his underwear, and leapt gracefully onto the racquet bag. He pawed at it for a moment, and found the stone caught between his Boy's books.   
  
"Eh, Karupin, not my bag!" His Boy shouted, hopping over, feet entangled in his boy briefs. But by then, Karupin already had the stone in his mouth. He gave his Boy a final look, and swallowed.   
  
_His stomach felt funny. And his skin hurt. There was a stretching, and pulling, and extending, and Karupin suddenly felt a lot larger, clumsier and colder._  
  
Karupin opened his eyes. His Boy stared at him dumbfounded. Karupin looked down. A pale smooth expense of _skin_ looked back. Karupin lifted his paw -- _no, hand_-- and looked entranced as the funny but oh-so-useful digits bent and flexed according to his will.   
  
Suddenly afraid, Karupin felt frantically at his head and ass. _Ahh..._ His ears and tail was still there. Karupin relaxed. He bounced on his feet -- only two! -- delighting in the strange balance of his new body. Skin was interesting too, now that he had some of his own. His fur seemed to have all migrated to the top of his head, where it hung pale and long and gleaming, leaving the rest of his body bare. Karupin gave his hand an experimental lick.   
  
Hmm, his boy parts are different too, and Karupin was just about to reach with his hand to touch and explore the strange dangley bits when his Boy gave a strangled choke.   
  
Ah. His Boy. Reminded of why he became a Boy in the first place, Karupin leveled an emerald-hard stare at his Boy. Karupin pounced on his boy, quite forgetting in his urgency that he was now human, and as such, was a fair bit larger than his Boy. He and his Boy went down onto the bed in a thrashing heap of naked limbs and bodies.   
  
"Karupin!" shouted his Boy.   
  
Karupin ended up straddling his Boy. Green eyes met golden startled ones, and Karupin lowered his head to his Boy's ear. "No neutering," he said, as clearly as he knew how.   
  
His Boy's mouth opened in an 'O' of surprise, but no words came out. Karupin batted lightly at his Boy with his hand, his brow furrowing in displeasure. "No neutering," he repeated, with added emphasis.   
  
This time, his Boy spoke. "I wasn't planning to!" He said defensively. "It was dad and his stupid idea...!"  
  
Karupin thought about it for a moment, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "...dad..." said Karupin, stumbling only slightly at the unfamiliar word. He climbed off his Boy in a swift fluid manner, and made for the door. "I'll tell 'dad' no neutering," said Karupin grimly.   
  
"No, wait!" His Boy threw out a frantic arm around Karupin's waist, effectively stopping him for moving.   
  
"What?" Karupin turned and looked at his Boy.  
  
His Boy blushed. "You can't go out like that!" he said, gesturing at Karupin's body.   
  
Karupin looked down. He looked back at his Boy blankly. "Why?" he asked curiously, tilting his head to a side.  
  
His Boy blushed harder. "Just... Look, just stay here tonight, don't let anyone see you like this, and I'll make sure that dad never thinks about that stupid idea ever again, okay?" His Boy looked at him pleadingly.   
  
Karupin batted at his Boy's face affectionately. His Boy had never lied to him before. He trusted his Boy. Karupin thought a while longer, and slowly nodded. "Okay." To seal their pact, Karupin moved up close to his Boy, and licked his face in a long slow stroke of the tongue.   
  
His Boy fell back onto the bed, face red, and Karupin followed him there, a smile of pure feline delight on his face. "My Boy," Karupin said triumphantly as he snuggled his Boy, catching him up in his arms, wrapping his bare body around his Boy in an utterly catlike manner. Karupin lapped at his Boy's face and neck, his nimble pink tongue going up and down over his Boy's pale skin.  
  
His Boy giggled, and pushed at Karupin lightly with no real strength behind it. "Hey, that tickles!"   
  
Karupin stopped licking at that, and started to nuzzle slowly against his Boy's shoulder instead.   
  
His Boy settled down against Karupin, the weight of his body a familiar yet strange sensation. Soon, the desire to sleep overtook Boy and Cat, and they gradually drifted off into a deep, restful slumber.   
  
A thought struck Karupin, just before he gave in to the strong need to just close his eyes and sleep...   
  
_I wonder what my other Boy Toy would do if I appeared to him like this..._

Omi: Weirdness inspired by the wonder tashigi who _drew_ the most gorgeous Boy!Karupin and Ryouma.


End file.
